


Hearth

by thewesterndoor



Series: The Cost of Valour [2]
Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Domestic Fluff, Giant Spiders, Light Action, M/M, Swords and Sorcery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 14:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18671752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewesterndoor/pseuds/thewesterndoor
Summary: After getting caught up in a blizzard, Kel and her friends are forced to find shelter.  Their only option is the small Northern garrison commanded by Viktor Nikiforov, leaving Kel to finally reconsider exactly who the heir to Stonemountain is, and how he fits into his family’s legacy.This is a follow-up to the Cost of Valour.





	Hearth

**Author's Note:**

> From the comments on Cost of Valour it seemed like a lot of the readers were fans of both YOI and Tortall, so I thought I’d do a quick fic that had a lot more crossover. Though really this was just an opportunity to write viktuuri being domestic and sweet. And to include sassy Neal. And salty Yurio.
> 
> And of course thanks to nekoshka for beta reading.

Kel shivered, her hands aching where she clutched at the reins. Wind whipped around the mountain path, throwing snow up around the small party of riders and tearing at every inch of exposed skin.  Glancing back to check on Tobe, she could just make out his small figure astride Hoshi.

Even in the half-light of the storm, the boy’s misery was obvious.  His shoulders were hunched in on himself, and despite all the layers of protective clothing Kel had insisted he wear, she could see shivers ripping through him.

“We’re going to need to stop soon.”

Neal’s voice pulled her attention back to where he was riding beside her.  All signs of his usual teasing banter were gone, and instead he was giving Kel that look he got when he thought  she was going to put up a fight.

Kel  _ wanted _ to put up a fight.  On their return to New Hope that morning from Fort Mastiff, they’d stumbled across four spidren.  They’d been able to kill one of them right there, but the rest had fled. The risk of the Immortals creating nests in the woods was too great to ignore—they were close enough to New Hope that anyone leaving the camp would be at risk.  

It shouldn’t have added too much to their journey.  The horses were all fresh, and even Tobe had become good enough with a spear that Kel wouldn’t have to worry about him. But then the weather had changed.

“Fort Mastiff or New Hope?” Kel could barely hear her own voice over the wail of the wind.

Neal shook his head.

“Too far.  Either will take us hours.  I prefer you without frostbite.  I prefer me without frostbite,” Neal said with a weak shadow of his usual smile.

Fumbling at her belt, Kel pulled the map free.  It took a few moments for her to unfold it between her numb fingers and the bulky gloves she was wearing.  She quickly found Mastiff and then tried to retrace their day’s hunt in her mind. They’d been on the trail for a few hours before the snow had started, and with the weather it was hard to gauge how far they’d gone, but at least they’d never been out of sight of the small river running North.

“There’s supposed to be a garrison along here.  We haven’t passed it yet, so it must be close.”

Kel passed the map over to Neal who did little more than glance at it before he closed it with a snap and passed it back.  He smiled sheepishly.

“Your map skills are going to be the death of you some day,” Kel said with an answering smile.

“And why’s that? I have you, don’t I?  Maybe this is part of my plan, one of the many reasons for the Stump to leave me in your very capable command.”

It was a relief to hear the familiar light tone in Neal’s voice.  So long as he could make jokes or complain about their former training master, Kel knew that he would be okay.

“I don’t know,” Kel said slowly as she started to look along the trail for any sign of a military post.  “After your comments at Mastiff…I wouldn’t be so sure that Wyldon won’t find some task that gets you lost in the woods. You alright, Tobe?”

When there was no answer, Kel turned again to look back over her shoulder.

“We’ll be stopping soon,” she said, trying to catch his eyes.

He nodded, the motion jerky.  Even at the age of twelve, Tobe was still small, and Kel wished she’d thought to turn back hours ago.  It was her job to protect people, and yet she’d thought nothing of leading him into a blizzard.

The three rode on as the light continued to fade, giving way to a murkier grey as twilight began to fall. 

_ It will be fine _ , Kel told herself even as she sent a prayer to the Goddess to watch over them.  With the Scanran threat still strong, all of the posts along the Northern borders had seen too much use for any to be allowed to fall into disrepair.  At the very least, she could trust Lord Wyldon’s pragmatism; there was no way that man would let something so valuable as a garrison go unused this close to the border.

“There!” It was Neal who called out through the gloom, one hand lifted to point through the trees.

Even with the snow still falling, wind throwing it one way and then the other, Kel could still see the glow of a window and the frame of a large building.

She muttered a quick word of thanks, and then urged Peachblossom forward until the three of them were in front of a large wooden gate.

Body numb, Kel threw one leg over the saddle and slid down.  She stamped her way towards the gate and banged her fist against the timber.  The noise was immediately pulled off into the night by the wind.

Exchanging a worried look with Neal, Kel tried again.

_ Please let them hear us. _

She looked again at Tobe.  This close, she could see that the boy’s eyes—normally lively—had gone dull, and that his colour was ashen.

With her throat tight, Kel hit the door again.  This time she kept up the pounding until her shoulder ached.

There was a groan as the gate opened, and then Kel found herself face to face with an angry teen.  Blonde hair like pale wheat was pulled back from his face, and green eyes flashed as he squinted into the dark.

“What do you want?”

“We were traveling between Fort Mastiff and New Hope and the weather got the best of us,” Neal said.

“That’s half a day’s ride to the South. What are you doing up here?”

Kel was a little impressed at the sheer amount of belligerence that the teen was able to pack into those words.  She’d thought Tobe could occasionally be obstinate, but this was an entirely new level. It almost made her oddly nostalgic for the baby griffin she’d cared for during her days as a squire; her fingers and arms still held some of the scars from that time.  But now was not the time for arguments at the door. They needed to get the horses seen to and then get out of the wind.

Fighting her exhaustion, Kel summoned up all of the authority she’d learned from dealing with men who doubted her ability to command. “We’re in need of shelter.  While we’re seeing to the horses, please let your commander know that we will need to stay the night.” Her tone made it clear this was not a request.

Those green eyes turned on her, blonde brows lowering as the teen squinted into the dark, but finally he shouldered the gate open wide enough to allow the three to lead the horses inside.  As soon as the gate was shut and they were standing in the courtyard of the garrison, the noise of the wind died down to a dull roar.

“Stable’s over there,” the teen said, pointing to a long building that ran the length of one wall. “When you’re finished, headquarters is that one.”  He pointed to a smaller building.

“Nice when you’re made to feel welcome, isn’t it?” Neal said as they watched the teen let himself into headquarters.  “I don’t envy the knight who’s trying to train that squire.”

“No.  Though,” Kel said with a grin as they entered the stable, “I’m sure a lot of people said the same about you.”

Neal gasped in mock horror, and even Tobe managed a small laugh.

“Don’t listen to my lady, Tobe,” Neal said.  “I was considered nothing but an exemplary page and squire. I couldn’t go a foot without someone wanting to sing my praises.”

“Throttle you more like,” Kel said and Tobe laughed.

“You wound me,” said Neal with a wink.

Quickly the three set about looking after their own horses.  Normally, Tobe would’ve seen to all three, but Kel insisted that she help.  The sooner she could get her charge in front of a fire, the better.

As she unsaddled Peachblossom, she saw a large dog drift out from one of the stalls.  Pieces of straw stuck to its cloud of fur, and brown eyes blinked sleepily at her.

Kel had seen that dog before.

“Neal, where have I seen this dog?”

He leaned over from where he was working a brush along the coat of his own horse, and stared at the dog intently.  Finally he looked at Kel.

“Well, I guess at least we can be sure we’ll know who the knight in command of this garrison is.”

Kel’s stomach clenched, her shoulders beginning to ache as a new tension took hold.  Maybe it hadn’t been a stroke of fortune to reach the garrison, not if Stonemountain was in charge here.

 

***

 

By the time all the horses had been groomed and the three were crossing the courtyard of the garrison to the headquarters, Kel’s stomach was in knots.

She didn’t know what to expect.  The last time she had seen Sir Viktor of Stonemountain, she had found him to be surprisingly at odds with what she’d come to expect of his family.  Joren of Stonemountain, Viktor’s cousin, had been a year ahead of Kel during her page training, and he had been the bully who hounded her through much of that time.  The only thing that had ended Joren’s dogged persecution was his death, and the rest of the family had been quick to lay the blame for that at Kel’s door. But when she’d seen Viktor the previous mid-Winter, he’d been friendly.

Truth be told, he’d been charming.  Between his icy beauty and polished words, Kel might have easily found herself dazzled if she hadn’t learned from experience to always be on guard around those from Stonemountain.  Still, she hadn’t been able to completely ignore his request for help in preparing for a trip to the Yamani Islands.

Kel had sent Viktor her copy of her father’s own guide to the islands, and left it at that.  She was in Corus so rarely that she’d expected the chances of running across him again would be slim.

Pulling her shoulders straight and her chin up, Kel made her face blank.  She could do this.

“You act as though you’re marching against a company of Scanrans,” Neal whispered in her ear.

“No, just trying to make sure I’m not caught unawares.”

Neal looked as though he was about to say something flippant, but then his expression sobered.

“You think there will be some trouble?”

Kel glanced around, catching Tobe’s eye just as he looked away.  She could feel his interest in her answer, and the nervous energy that crackled through him.

“It will be fine, Tobe,” she said, more for herself than him.  

She nudged him forward and pulled open the heavy door of the headquarters.  Inside, the space was set up as an office, much like what Kel had at New Hope.  The room was simple and rough. In the centre of the room was a desk, clearly doubling as a table, a few chairs scattered around it, and along one wall was a narrow cot.  Rising up from one of the chairs was Sir Viktor.

“My Lady Knight,” Viktor said with a nod and a welcoming smile.  “Welcome. And of course the same to you, Queenscove, and to your companion.”

Viktor leaned to the side, peering around Kel to where Tobe hung back a little.  The knight caught the boy’s eyes and smiled. Kel was shocked at how gentle the expression was.

Truth be told, she was shocked that Viktor had acknowledged the boy at all.  His cousin was the one who had thought nothing of having Kel’s maid kidnapped, who had treated the palace servants like they were invisible or there for his own cruel enjoyment.  Joren would never have bothered to give welcome to a servant.

“I’m afraid we must throw ourselves upon your mercy, Nikiforov,” Neal said, his tone walking the edge between sincere and sarcastic.  Kel wondered about the chances of Neal being tossed out into the storm before the night was through.

Viktor just smiled, and gestured towards the chairs.

“Yurio, grab some plates for our guests.”

The blonde teen got up from the cot where he had been sullenly glaring across the room.  He walked over to the small shelf that ran along the opposite wall and returned with three plates.

Neal had already sat down, Tobe quickly following suit, but Kel still stood until Neal gave her a pointed look.

“I’m afraid it was Yurio’s choice for dinner tonight,” Viktor said, again with that smile and a fond look for the teen.

“Stop calling me that, old man,” the boy hissed.  “They’ll start thinking that’s my name.”

“Is it not?” Kel asked before she could think better of it.

The teen flushed red, shoving a plate into her hand and then bolting out of the room.  Kel just stared after him, wondering what had happened.

“Sorry,” Viktor said.  He grabbed a pot from the hook hanging over the fire and brought it to the small scarred table by the chairs.  “With both Yuri and Yuuri, we had to figure out a way to distinguish between the two. Yuuri’s sister was the one who suggested that we call Yuri Yurio.”

All of that was said in a way that suggested it made perfect sense, and Kel wasn’t sure if there was a way she could reasonably ask what he was talking about.  Tobe clearly didn’t feel the same concern.

“Why’d his sister come up with a name he doesn’t like?” The boy asked.

Viktor paused in the act of ladling out a rich stew with dumplings.  Confusion spread across his face, quickly chased by a smile of understanding.

“No, it was Yuuri’s sister.”  The way he stressed the vowel made it sound as though it was somehow significant.

“And that wasn’t Yuuri?” Kel asked, trying to mimic the pronunciation.  It reminded her a little of the Yamani she used to hear spoken as a child.

“No, that was Yurio.  Yuuri was just wrapping up with a patrol of the perimeter and then he’ll be in to—”

Viktor was cut off by a man walking into the room.  His black hair was speckled with snowflakes and his cheeks were flushed with the cold.

“Yuuri!” Viktor cried out, lingering on the u.  Kel wasn’t sure, but she thought that the man’s cheeks went even pinker.  “We’ve got guests.”

Yuuri smiled softly at Neal and Tobe, and when his gaze reached Kel his eyes went wide.  He gave Viktor a questioning look, but the knight had already turned back to filling the plates.

Kel took pity on the man. “This is Sir Nealan of Queenscove, Tobe, and I’m Keladry of Mindelan.  We were hunting spidrens and got caught in the storm.”

“We’ve thrown ourselves upon your hospitality,” Neal added.

“Katsuki Yuuri,” Yuuri said.  He paused, shooting Kel another look before he added,  “I knew of you from before. The training mistress still talks about you at the Imperial School.”

Kel smiled at the Yamani accent that traced through Yuuri’s words.

“You were at the school?”

Emotion flashed across Yuuri’s face, quickly hidden behind a mild smile.  Viktor walked up behind him, placing one hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and squeezing.  Leaning into the touch, Yuuri reached up to press his hand against Viktor’s. Kel felt as though she was witnessing an oddly intimate moment, and one completely at odds with what she’d have expected of Stonemountain.

“I was,” Yuuri finally said simply.

Silence settled into the room and Kel turned her attention to her supper.  The stew was simple, but it was hot, and by the time she’d finished at least some of her tension had eased.

When she finally looked up, Yuuri and Viktor appeared to be having some manner of silent conversation, which ended when Viktor turned back towards the table.

“Currently the barracks are empty.  It’s just the three of us here—my Lord Wyldon asked the last squad posted to move on to a fort to the West.  If you would prefer a bit of space, we’d be happy to put you up there. Otherwise, Yuuri and I can move from our room to the barracks.  Two of you could comfortably bunk in there, with the lad taking Yurio’s bunk here…”

“No,” Kel said quickly.  “The barracks are fine. So long as there’s a bed and a blanket I’m sure it will be fine.”

Kel also desperately wanted a bath, but she wasn’t about to say that.

“If you’re sure…” Viktor said slowly.

“I’m sure it will be more than adequate.”

Viktor led them back out to the courtyard and across to a squat building.  Inside were rows of bunks, plain but serviceable. On one end of the main room was a large fireplace, and they quickly found a supply of blankets.

After Viktor left them to get settled, Neal turned to Kel.

“Our room?” He said, his mouth twitching. “I think I just won a bet with Seaver.”

Kel frowned at him.

“There have been rumours about Nikiforov for years.  The family has tried to stamp them out, but they always seem to come back.  The bet—for the record, since you’re giving me that look—wasn’t so much about his inclination, as to the fact that  _ he _ might be the source of the rumours.  Clearly he doesn’t seem to give a damn who knows.”

Neal wasn’t wrong.  It was another strange piece of the puzzle as she tried to figure out who Viktor of Stonemountain was.  From her experience with the family he should have been cold and calculating, focused on his position and making sure nothing threatened it, but the man she’d seen was something very different.

With a sigh, Kel tugged her tunic over her head and hung it from the post of the bed she’d claimed.  It had been a long day, and there was no point in trying to puzzle through her confusion now. Better to get some sleep and hope that things would make more sense in the morning.

 

***

 

When Kel woke, she could feel the aches of the previous day’s ride all through her body.  The light that spilled into the barracks and over the empty bunks was marginally brighter than when they’d gone to bed, so she had to assume it was morning.

Somewhere off to her left, she could hear Neal’s soft snores, and to the right was Tobe’s rhythmic breathing.  Kel was half-tempted to shut her eyes, pull the blanket up to her chin, and see if she could get a little more sleep, but before the thought had even fully formed she was already sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Some routines were too hard to break, and outside of a few times she’d been on the march, Kel had always dragged herself out to work through her drills and pattern dances for the glaive.

There had been a glaive—a few of them, actually—in the headquarters the night before.  Weary as she was, Kel hadn’t thought much of it; she’d just catalogued that detail in the same way that she’d note a particular type of tree in a campsite, or the tracks of deer along the trail.  One had clearly been an ornamental weapon that had never seen a training session, let alone combat, but the other two had been very similar to Kel’s own glaive.

One of the few things Kel missed keenly from Corus was the company of the Princess Shinkokami and Neal’s finance Yuki.  If Kel was summoned back to the capital, one of the first things the Yamani women would insist on would be Kel joining their morning glaive practices.  She’d grown accustomed to keeping her skills sharp through solitary practice, but it went so much quicker when she could spar. If things were different, she might have been tempted to ask Yuuri if the glaive was his and if she could get some practice in, but Kel wasn’t sure that was a good idea.

For all the ways that Viktor had been showing himself to be different from the Old Guard, Kel couldn’t quite cast aside her doubts.  Better for her to keep her distance until she could return to New Hope.

The floor was cold under her bare feet, and Kel dashed across the room to where she’d left her boots.  She looked at Tobe’s sleeping face for a moment, watching the rise and fall of his chest. He’d be put-out if he found out she’d gone to practice without him, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to wake him up.  In his sleep he looked his age, rather than the worried old man persona he tended to project. His chances to sleep late were few and far between, and after the grind of yesterday she’d rather he rested.

Careful not to wake the others, she pulled her coat on and grabbed her glaive from where it had been placed on the floor the night before.  She pulled the latch of the door as slowly as she could, easing the door open just enough to step outside and closing it quietly behind her.

Cold air filled her lungs, making her breath catch and turning each exhale into clouds.  The snow and wind had lightened up, but there were still flakes drifting down. All of the tracks they’d made the previous night had been filled in, and Kel could just make out a fresher set that ran from headquarters to a building just off the stables.

As she waded out into the courtyard, her feet sinking down until she was knee deep in snow, Kel realized there was no hope of getting in any practice.  Each step was a struggle, and beneath the layer of snow, the ground was slick. The footing would be treacherous, and the chances of injuring herself too high.

Her hand tightened around the wooden shaft of the glaive and Kel took a deep breath, trying to set aside her feelings of disappointment.  More than anything, at that moment she needed the clarity that came with emptying her thoughts and giving herself over to the familiar routines of the pattern dance.

_ You’d have frostbite in minutes _ , she reminded herself.   _ And then you’d have to listen to Neal complain about all the warning signs.  Again. _

She’d just turned to go back inside when a voice called out across the courtyard.

“Up already?” Viktor’s Northern accent carried across the distance before he stepped down from the stoop in front of the headquarters and walked towards her.

_ Not walked _ , she corrected herself.  The way Viktor moved, like he was filled with excitement, he was practically a match for the dog bounding through the snow next to him.

“I didn’t expect to see you for some time,” Viktor said, his tone so effortless in its friendliness and a smile on his face.

Kel lifted the glaive up, trying to keep her face a mask of stone.

“Ah, of course,” Viktor said.  “We have a space that can be used for practice when it’s a little too…severe outside.  We fixed up one of the old storage rooms—it keeps down Yurio’s complaints. Would you like to…” His voice trailed off as he gestured towards the building the tracks led to.

“Uh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It’s fine.  I’m sure both Yuuri and Yurio would be glad to have someone to break up their practices.”  As he spoke Yuuri’s name his smile grew brighter and softer.

“Don’t you practice with them?” Kel asked.

Viktor laughed, his silver hair flying across his forehead as he shook his head.

“Gods, no.  Just ask Yurio, I’m useless with anything but a sword.  Yuuri—beautiful soul that he is—has taken on the thankless task of training my squire with polearms in the morning, and I do what I can with swords in the evening.”

Kel nodded, a smile working it’s way out unbidden.  The knight’s charm offensive was far too strong to completely ignore.

“If you’re sure it won’t be any trouble, then I’d be grateful to make use of the space,” Kel said.

“Excellent!”

Viktor led her across to the courtyard, pushing open one of the doors and ushering her in.  Lanterns were spread out across the room, setting it awash in golden light, and in the centre of the room Kel could see Yuuri and Yurio circling each other, glaives in hand.

A dulled practice blade flashed through the air, and Kel’s breath stalled at the flurry of movement as Yuuri went on the attack.  From the extension of his arms down to the angle of his legs, Yuuri was poetry.

“Beautiful, isn’t he?” Viktor half whispered.

When Kel looked at the knight, she saw his gaze locked on the pair—on Yuuri—and an expression of awe across his face.  She couldn’t blame him.

“I forgot what it was like,” Kel said softly, not wanting to disrupt the combat.  “The Emperor’s training mistress split her time between training the royal family—”

“And visiting diplomat’s children?” Viktor added.

Kel nodded before continuing.  “She split her time between working with us children and training the students at the school.  Occasionally she would let us go and watch their lessons, and it was like nothing I’d seen before.  The speed that they moved…the absolute certainty…it was like…I’m not even sure.”

As a child she’d remembered the keen beauty of the skill, and watching Yuuri move...it was like she was nine years old again, kneeling on the straw mats of the main practice hall, her heart racing, desperate to one day be even half so good as the men and women she was watching.

“Unbelievably, he thinks he’s merely passable,” Viktor said.

Kel glanced at him in surprise, and Viktor’s smile this time was a little more somber.

She was saved from having to say something as the fight ended.  Both Yuuri and Yurio bowed to each other, the chests heaving with exertion, and turned towards Kel and Viktor.

“Vitya!” Yuuri said, his eyes lighting up.

“I’ve brought you some new competition.  Yurio, I’d suggest you pay particular attention to Lady Knight Keladry,” Viktor said. His face had taken up a teasing expression that wouldn’t have gone amiss on Neal’s face.  “Our Yura won’t say this himself, but he’s something of an admirer of yours.”

“Shut up old man!” The squire shouted.  “Don’t make it sound weird. It’s not weird.”

Viktor winked at Kel.

“Don’t worry, Yura.  I’m sure that the lady knight has many adoring fans who can rattle off all of her accomplishments to date.”

Kel took mercy on the squire and gave him a smile of her own.  “Please, just call me Kel. And you had excellent form just now.  Have you been studying the glaive long?”

Yurio’s face flushed a brilliant red.

“Since the progress.”

“Yura began about a year ago,” Yuuri added, gently bumping his shoulder against Yuri’s and smiling fondly at him.  “He was fortunate enough to start his training with my former training mistress while they were staying at my family’s inn.  Sadly, he’s had to suffer with my own meagre skills since then.”

Viktor gave Kel a look as if to say, “See?”  He then walked over to Yuuri, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of his head.

“I’m off to do the rounds.  I’ll see you later.”

He waved goodbye to Kel, and then went back out into the cold.

Kel wondered when she would stop feeling off-kilter when it came to the different facets of Viktor of Stonemountain.

“Do you need to warm up, my lady?” Yuuri’s accented speech pulled her attention back to him.

“Kel,” she corrected automatically.

Yuuri smiled, his brown eyes warm.  In a daze, she took the practice weapon he offered, setting her own down, and settled into the exercises that would warm her muscles for proper training.  Kel did her best to set aside her racing thoughts, but despite her best efforts she couldn’t help but puzzle over what to make of the little band here—of the knight who should have been everything she hated about the nobility; the grumbling squire who was so attentive when Yuuri gave instructions; and the enigmatic Yuuri.

 

***

 

“You look like you had fun.”

Kel gave Neal a stern look over her bowl of porridge, but his eyes just twinkled merrily, delighting in her obvious exhaustion.

“If there was a way to bottle your energy, Yuuri,” Kel said, “I think a half dozen of my staffing problems at New Hope would be fixed.”

Viktor’s voice was matter-of-fact as he said, “My Yuuri has marvellous stamina.”

Almost instantly Yurio made a retching noise.  “What have I told you, old man?”

“Just wait a year or two,” Viktor said as he reached over to ruffle the squire’s hair.  “I seem to recall…”

As Yurio seemed set to explode, Yuuri’s soft voice spoke up.  “Vitya, leave him alone. We have company.” Yuuri looked between Kel, Neal, and Tobe, his smile apologetic and pink spreading appealingly across the bridge of his nose.

“Is it always so…lively here?” Neal said, struggling and failing to hide his amusement.

If Kel hadn’t been completely wrung out by the morning’s training, she might have felt the same.  She hadn’t been this tired from simply practicing since her early days as a page. Yuuri had shown no signs of needing a break, and it had only been Neal and Tobe summoning them for breakfast that had put an end to the exercise.

“Well, they’re always idiots,” Yurio muttered around a mouthful of porridge.

Tobe was staring at the older boy in awe.  He’d caught the tail end of a bout between Kel and Yurio, and since that moment Kel was sure the lad had come down with a case of hero worship.  She felt the tiniest shard of jealousy, but she could hardly blame him. Yurio might have needed a little more polish for his techniques, but his training with Yuuri showed in his form as he wielded the weapon.  By the time he gained his knighthood, he would be a formidable foe.

It was with some surprise that Kel realized she was enjoying her stay at the garrison.  The banter between their hosts reminded her of her days as a page at the palace; of hearing her friends bickering and swapping jokes over meals, complaining about writing tasks that had been set by the masters, and wondering what the next day would have in store.  It was light and easy, and it was hard not to be pulled into the conversation.

But Kel still chafed at the thought of being away from New Hope, and of the spidrens still hunting through the forest.  She knew that Merric would be fine in command and that the weather meant attacks on the camp would be unlikely, but she couldn’t help but worry.  Just like this trio appeared to be a small family, all the people of New Hope had become a family to Kel. And she couldn’t stand the thought that even now, the spidrens might be making their way closer to that family.

As he gathered up the bowls, Viktor paused for a moment beside Kel.  “While I was out, I saw some tracks that I believe would be of interest to you. All signs show the snow stopping soon,” he said, voice soft.

Kel tensed at his words.  She quickly looked over to Neal, who was chortling over something while Yurio fumed, Tobe appearing entranced by the sight.  Neal would complain, but he would be fine to ride; Tobe on the other hand…he was still far too pale for her liking. Except there would be no leaving Tobe behind—not on his own; he would just wait until they’d left and then sneak out to follow them.

Those blue eyes that were so uncanny in their familiarity locked on Kel, and she had the oddest sense that behind the charm, Viktor saw a lot more than he let on.

“If you’ll allow, I’d be glad of the chance to get outside the walls for a few hours.  Sir Nealan could perhaps take the time to talk to my squire about field dressings for wounds; another area where I’m rather inadequate.  And the lad said that he’s been training with spears—Yuuri would be happy to take him through his paces.”

Kel had been right; Sir Viktor was far too perceptive.

“What? You’re going out?” Yurio shouted.  He slammed his hands on the table and stood up.  “Don’t be an idiot! Why would you go? If it’s hunting spidrens it’ll require something with reach.  You’re garbage with a polearm. If anything it should be me. Or Katsudon.”

Viktor’s smile didn’t waver as he set the plates aside.

“I appreciate your concern Yurio, but I’ll be fine. In weather this cold, the spidrens will be slow enough that even I’ll be fine.  And it would be a shame for you to miss out on an opportunity like this.”

Yurio turned his indignant gaze onto Yuuri.

“Tell him.  This is stupid.”

Yuuri just reached forward to grasp one of Viktor’s hands, squeezing tightly.

“Be careful, and remember those things we’ve talked about with your weapon.  I’d hate for Yurio to have to use whatever skills he learns today quite so soon.”  Yuuri stood up and smiled at Tobe. “If you’ll follow me, I would be honoured to see what Lady Kel has taught you.”

Even the stubborn Tobe couldn’t say no to Yuuri.

“Well, my lady, it seems that we’re going hunting,” Viktor said with a broad smile, looking far more excited than she thought the prospect merited.

 

***

 

It was alarming to Kel just how close the spidrens had come to the walls of the garrison.  Not five minutes out and she was already seeing signs of the Immortals. With the night’s snowfall, it was possible that they had gone even closer.

“Does Yurio ever do patrols on his own?” Kel asked sharply as she stared at a piece of web tangled through the branches of a nearby tree.

“Of course.” 

It was on the tip of her tongue to say something, but every every argument fell to pieces before she could say anything.  Still, Kel couldn’t help but feel concern over the blond terror; he really did remind her of all the camp children that waited for her back at New Hope.  There was an edge and a hidden sadness to the boy that had her praying that the Goddess keep him in Her hand.

“I wouldn’t underestimate him,” Viktor said.  “I’m not sure what stories came back from the Yamani progress, but it wasn’t an easy journey for Yura—for any of us.  I think the only one with a fighting spirit Yura can’t already surpass is Yuuri.”

Kel stared down at Peachblossom’s mane, trying to gather her thoughts.

“Spirit is all well and good, but sometimes a fight just needs skill—”

“Don’t let Yurio hear you,” Viktor said with another smile, though this one was sharp and fierce.  Protective, Kel realized. “Besides, my lady, didn’t I hear stories of you slaying spidrens before you even began your time as a page?  And then there was something about a handful of pages taking down a gang of bandits…”

Face warm, Kel grimaced.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.  I just hope…” She didn’t even know what she wanted to say.  It was so odd to be having a conversation like this with Nikiforov—to be having  _ any _ conversation with him.

“I have no intention of letting harm come to either Yurio or Yuuri.” Hearing the fierceness in Viktor’s voice, Kel turned to look at him.  “They were the family I chose, and I’d rather die than have them taken away.”

Kel’s throat felt thick, something catching in her chest.  She’d never thought to consider whether Viktor might have been as much a victim of his family as the people Joren had tormented.

They rode in silence, Kel occasionally sneaking glances at the other knight.  Viktor would sometimes catch her eye and smile, but mostly he was quietly watching the trail.

After a couple of hours with nothing more than a few glimpses of webbing and some tracks, Kel wondered if this was perhaps a fool’s errand.  With their monstrous size, the spidrens could make much better time than Kel and Viktor’s horses, and it was possible they’d moved on. There were only a handful of hours left of the daylight, and Kel was anxious to get back to the others.

Tobe could be distracted for a while, but Kel knew that the boy’s stubborn protectiveness and loyalty would win out.  If she was gone longer than he liked, there was a good chance that he would take it upon himself to go looking for them; he’d certainly done it before.

Kel sighed, giving Peachblossom the sign to stop.  She looked around the stretch of forest they’d reached.  Absolutely nothing. All around them, it was just snow, trees, and brambles; the last sighting of anything that looked like tracks was at least a half hour back.

Viktor pulled up alongside Kel, and she twisted in her saddle to look over at him.

“We’re not having much luck—should we just go back?”

Before Viktor could answer, there was the crack of branches breaking and trees scraping against each other.  Both knights turned in the direction of the noise to see a spidren scuttling out, quickly joined by another two.

It didn’t matter how many times Kel had seen them before, she still felt her stomach churn with revulsion at the massive spider-like body with the human face staring out at them, pointed teeth gnashing.

There wasn’t a moment to think before the first spidren moved.  The monster may have been a nocturnal predator, but the weak daylight didn’t slow it at all.  Clutching an axe with one of its limbs, the first spidren came at Kel.

Already her hand was grasping at the shaft of her glaive, pulling it free.  Peachblossom wheeled, the warhorse trying to get her into a better position to attack.  When one of the spidren’s legs swung towards them, the horse reared, his hooves knocking the Immortal back.  The moment he sank back down to all fours, Kel was ready, her glaive sweeping out towards the spidren.

There was a clang of metal against metal as the spidren blocked her with its axe.  She felt the force of it down her arm.

Forcing herself to breathe, Kel swung again.  She was a hair closer this time, the tip of her curved blade nicking the body of the Immortal, but the rest of the blow was still blocked.

Somewhere behind her, or possibly to the side, Kel could hear the sounds of Viktor fighting, but she couldn’t spare the time to look.  She would have to trust that he could take care of himself.

Despite her best efforts, the spidren countered her every attack.  Each time she thought she’d finally found a way through only to have her blows fended off, she would see a taunting gleam in the creature’s eyes.

Sweat dripped down her face, and beneath her winter coat Kel could feel her shirt clinging to the small of her back.  Peachblossom was just as fierce as when they’d left the garrison that morning, but Kel knew that neither of them could go on like this forever.

With a roar, she urged Peachblossom forward.  They were dangerously close to the reach of the spidren’s axe, but Kel pushed her fear aside.  Instead, she focussed all her attention on the tip of her glaive and the creature’s body.

As one, she and her horse surged forward, and Kel put as much force as she could manage into her glaive as she shoved it up and into the abdomen of the spidren.

She twisted the blade, drawing it down through the thick skin, leaving a wide wound of blood and muscle. The spidren stumbled, it’s legs crumpling.  Kel yanked her weapon free, bringing it back around to slice the monster’s head from its neck.

With the finishing blow, the spidren fell to the snow, lifeless and unmoving.

Kel allowed herself one moment to take a deep breath of the icy air before turning.

Silver caught her eye.  There was the dance of Viktor’s silvery hair, somehow still arresting in the grim light, and the flash of a sword swinging up in her direction.  Instinctively Kel pulled back, Peachblossom dancing out of the way.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, and Kel wondered what had possessed the man.

The sword crashed up against a rough hewn axe.  An axe that had been headed straight for her skull.

Viktor threw off the attack with ease, his sword slicingthrough the air as his stallion lunged at the spidren.

Just as Yuuri’s handling of the glaive was poetry, Kel couldn’t deny the artistry in Viktor’s moves.  Even with the taste of fear bitter on her tongue and her breathing ragged, she couldn’t help but be a little in awe.

_ Just as bad as Tobe _ , she chided herself as she shook off the feeling and joined in the fray.  

Between the two of them, the spidren was quickly dispatched and they were left with just the sound of their own heavy breathing echoing through the silent woods.

Viktor’s blue eyes swept over the three bodies before he smiled up at her.

“You said that there were three left from the group you’d run across yesterday?”

Kel nodded.

“Well, I think we get to call this a win,” he said.  He unlaced the waterskin from his saddle, and after he’d taken a quick drink he’d handed it across to Kel.

She gratefully gulped down half of it before handing it back.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Oh, it’s no bother.  I was getting it for myself anyways…”

Kel rolled her eyes.  Maybe Yurio was right and Viktor was just an idiot—a surprisingly caring idiot.

“No. Thank you for saving me there.”

Viktor’s expression was unexpectedly shy.

“Of course,” he said before a devilish smile lit up his face.  “I couldn’t let anything happen to Yurio’s idol. I think he’d shave my head if I came back without you in one piece.  And I’m sure Queenscove and your lad would do much worse.”

Kel laughed as something eased inside her chest.

“Probably.”

“Shall we head back?” Viktor said.  “I think that a success like tonight justifies Yuuri making katsudon.  Have you ever had katsudon?”

Following after Viktor as his horse began to walk, Kel said, “Yes, I think we had it a few times when I was small.”

“It’s amazing!” Viktor’s voice was as dreamy as his gaze.  “Yuuri’s is nearly as good as his parents’. You’re going to love it.”

“Can’t wait.”

 

***

 

“You’ll be alright?”

Kel smiled at Yuuri’s concerned expression.  Even after she and Viktor had returned late in the afternoon the previous day, telling the others with great relief that the spidrens were no longer a concern, Yuuri had been charmingly protective.  Most of that had been directed at Viktor, but the guests hadn’t escaped his mothering.

“We’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “We should get home to New Hope by nightfall.”

With a scoff, Yurio shoved Yuuri’s shoulder.

“Of course they’ll be fine, Katsudon,” Yuri said as he rolled his eyes.  “Even with a knight as useless as Queenscove, Kel can handle anything.”

Neal reeled back, mock hurt flashing in his eyes.

“And what did I do to earn such scorn from such a tender youth?” Neal drawled.

Yurio’s chin rose until he was somehow managing to give the appearance of looking down at the taller knight.

“Good riddance,” Yurio spat out.  “I’ll add you to my prayers.”

From the squire’s nasty smile, Kel suspected that the prayers were not for good fortune.  She couldn’t contain her laugh; it wasn’t often that Neal got the challenge he deserved.

“If you are able to get a few days’ leave from your post, you’ll all have to come to visit us at New Hope.  I’m sure there’s many more lessons that Neal could put together for Yurio,” Kel said.

Both Yurio and Neal blanched, but Viktor nodded.

Kel finished checking her saddle and then climbed up onto Peachblossom’s back, Neal and Tobe mounting up as well.

With a final wave, they rode out through the gates and into the morning light.  The storm had cleared entirely, leaving them with a crisp day and blue skies. And soon, they would be home.

As they guided the horses towards the trail that would take them South, Neal cast a look back at the wooden frame of the garrison.

“That was unexpectedly pleasant,” Neal said.

“Even though you had to entertain the ‘demon squire’?” Said Kel, one eyebrow raising.

Neal scraped one hand across his jaw, his lips twitching into a smile.

“Even with that miserable shit.  I think I might’ve found myself enjoying our visit there for a moment or two.”

Kel stared down at her gloves, thinking back over the previous day.

“Yeah.  Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Going to be switching to some other projects for a while, but after Ice Adolescence comes out I’ll probably start planning out the bigger sequel I have in mind. Info and updates will be on my Tumblr as stuff occurs. You can find me over there at thewesterndoor 
> 
> Thank you for commenting/reading/leaving kudos!


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